Life preserver
Menu summer '22
Food menu - front
Good menu - back
Drink menu
Dusk at The Sand Bar
the outside of the restaurant
Nightlife
a view of the marina
Great ambiance
Docks
outside
Jeff T.
May 28, 2024
What an awful place...We stopped in on a Saturday around 5:30. The place was packed. I took a look around and almost wanted to leave upon arrival. There was someone playing guitar and it was way too loud (I used to play in a band so I'm sympathetic to musicians playing dinner venues). Live entertainment during a dinner setting is just a bad idea for everyone. It costs the owner money, the guy playing is never enjoyed by the patrons and the patrons can't stand the fact that they have to scream at one another during dinner so they can be heard. I wish the idiot owners would bring in the bands around 8:00 and not during dinner service.Anyway, I wanted a drink, but my usual martini would have been a bad idea, so I ordered a margarita. Cool, sweet, festive libation that should be a no-brainer for any place like this. We walked up to the bar and it was obvious there was no chance of ordering anything. The bartenders (2 of them) were busy trying to crank out drinks for the waitresses. Even the waitresses were mixing drinks for themselves. I can't imagine the sales this place is blowing because of service issues. The "manager" even pushed us out of the way so he could re-stock the drink straws (an "excuse me" would go a long way, Mr. "Manager"). I'd think he'd be more concerned with sales than straws, but what do I know? Anyway, after waiting for 15 minutes to get a drink, our table was ready.We were taken to a table on the patio, outside of the screened-in area. They had hexagonal picnic tables that were anchored into the concrete slab. The seats were fixed to the table, so they couldn't be moved. To say these were uncomfortable is an understatement. I think these were designed by the Marque DeSade... Probably tolerable for 20 minutes, but any longer and things start hurting that you didn't know could hurt. They could have used these during the Spanish Inquisition. "W" should have used these instead of waterboarding. So, after sitting around for 10 minutes or so, the waitress came around and we ordered drinks. After another 10 or 15 minutes, she came back with drinks!!! My margarita looked like watered down Mountain Dew. It had a slight taste of tequila, with lime juice and club soda. I couldn't drink it. The strange thing is after looking around, I saw a lot of folks drinking these. They all grimaced after taking a sip, but they all seemed to hang in there. I threw in the towel after 3 sips and sent the drink back. It was terrible!So, many, many years ago, I worked at Chi-Chi's at Sylvania and Talmadge in Toledo. To say we served a lot of margaritas would be an understatement. We served gallons of those things. In the name of efficiency, we mixed those up in large stainless-steel containers (think of an old-fashioned milk can, but twice as large) and then served them through a pop gun. I have no idea how they do it here, but the way things were backing up at the bar, I doubt they were doing anything like this. If they are, the guy mixing the concoction needs to taste the stuff before it goes out for sale. And if the entire batch tasted anything like what I was served, I can't believe folks weren't sending them back. $10 bucks for a drink that couldn't be consumed.So, our waitress came back to take our food order and then disappeared again. After 35 or 40 minutes, 4 of our 5 dinners were delivered. The 5th one came 10 minutes after the others. Inexcusable.It looked like all of the food was coming out of a food truck. No way could they crank out the orders fast enough, even with their limited menu. What I received was pretty crappy...I ordered the steak tacos. What I received was 3 stale, flour tortillas with about an ounce of meat on each one. Some griddled onions, peppers, sour cream and maybe some cheese??? I'm saying they had cheese, because I can't imagine tacos without cheese, but I don't recall seeing any. The 3 tacos were $14.00.So, after sitting on the patio, we did see some really nice boats. People were being nice, and the weather was fine (not too cold or hot with a nice breeze). That said, if I'm told this is the dinner destination before I get in the car, I'll decline the invite and go to 7-11 for a roller dog. It's better than the stuff they serve at The Sandbar.
Read MoreThomas H.
Aug 8, 2023
The food and atmosphere was good. The service was good too. Rather small menu. ButWAY too expensive. I don't mind paying good money for a good experience but damn.
Read MoreKatie B.
Jun 19, 2022
Great fries & live music spot. Perfect post-boating or mid-boating spot to refuel. I *truly* enjoyed the blue frozen life preservers.
Read MoreTim S.
Jul 30, 2021
Nice marina grill. Had the walleye sandwich. Pretty good; couple of bones in it, but it's kind of expected with walleye. We sat outside under the patio cover. It was loud, had a hard time hearing people at the table.The food was good. We started with cheese curds. Fresh. We also had pretzel bites with a cheese dipping sauce. Also very fresh and good.Friendly server.
Read MoreDaniel D.
Jul 15, 2022
Local eatery in the Safe Harbor marina. Pretty good food, you may wait for food service if busy, because kitchen is small trailer grill. Good location to watch boats, but fuel pumps next to outdoor dining area. Can get loud when entertainment is on stage. Overall good.
Read MoreLexi A.
Jul 13, 2022
Should have looked at the ratings before I came to this sh*thole. $20 for a meal with no flavor... the cheese curds were amazing, but it was just a tease so I wouldn't think my food was gonna be ass. They also served us expired coleslaw. I asked for no coleslaw for mine but my requests obviously don't matter.
Read MoreValerie B.
Aug 19, 2020
Friendly service and tables outside far apart. Great fresh Greek salad. Decent burger but fries were cold. Bug spray provided and much needed as the sun set!
Read MorePatty H.
Sep 3, 2023
We were traveling to Ann Arbor and wanted to find a unique, local place to have lunch. Not an easy place to get to but definitely worth it. Fun to hang out watch the boats ,and enjoy the breeze off the water while sipping a Creamsicle cocktail. The steak bites with horseradish sauce and the fries were great! Everyone was friendly. Definitely worth the effort to find it. If we lived closer we'd come again!
Read MoreKeegan S.
Aug 2, 2023
Great food super kind people and really cool area to sit down. I definitely recommend this place to everyone
Read MoreShellie R.
May 28, 2023
Amazing food. Some of my favorites are the pizza, steak bites and fish dip. They always have great bands and the views are gorgeous.
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